


The True Spirit of Christmas (is Love)

by SummerRaine14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty and Jug are just young adults trying to figure everything out, Christmas fic, Dealing With A Miscarriage, F/M, Family Dinner, Family events, Gift Exchange, Hal and Alice are actaully really good parents, Miscarriage, Mostly Fluff, Oh this is a AU, Some Heavy Themes, Some angst, in which summer tries to tag but she can't, mention of self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 03:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: Betty and Jughead had always loved each other, but after graduating high school, Christmas was the only time of the year they had to be together. Five years later, everything changes as the story follows Betty opening up to Jughead about her darkest secret, and Jughead deciding to give up everything for love.





	The True Spirit of Christmas (is Love)

**Author's Note:**

> "First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone that clicked on my very first Christmas fanfic. However, before you continue, I want you all to take a moment and read over the tags. The main feel of this one shot will be fluffy, however, there will be some dark themes explored. These include;  
> Betty’s self harm and insecurities  
> A miscarriage
> 
> I kindly ask that if either of these trigger you, that you please turn away and sit this one out. 
> 
> Now, for anyone staying, a huge thank you goes out to @shrugheadjonesthethird for being an amazing beta (as always) and @bellathesouthsideserpent for you both going through this 8k long monster. Love yous <3

**Day 1.**

****

Christmas in the small town of Riverdale was like walking into a Hallmark movie, smiling families shopping together, couples planning their futures, streets filled with lights and decorations, after all, it was the most wonderful time of the year.

****

The Coopers had always taken the holidays one step further than everyone else. For one week out of the year, they would sit around the kitchen table together, tell each other about their lives, and be happy.

****

Betty hadn’t loved Christmas because her family felt like a real family, but because it was the one holiday where she never worried about her best friend being alone. Every year since they were five, her father, Hal, would invite the youngest Jones child over for Christmas because he knew that staying home in a beaten down trailer was no way to spend the holidays.

****

When she grew up, her parents made a strict rule about Jughead spending the night and not sleeping in her bedroom, but they didn’t care, because as their childhood friendship blossomed into teenage love, there was nothing that could stop them from being together.

****

At first, the two would ‘accidentally’ fall asleep together on the couch after watching reruns of old Christmas classics, but then Betty finally worked up the courage to ask for him to sleep in her bed, and against their best judgement, Hal and Alice allowed it so long as the bedroom door remained open throughout the night.

****

Somewhere along the way, the lonely writer from Sunnyside trailer park also became the man who loved Christmas, and the girl he had spent it with since he was five years old.

****

The tradition never failed, even as the two graduated from high school and went their separate ways for University. Every December, from the 23rd to the 26th, they were kids again. There was no time to stress about relationships, assignments due or work projects. Instead, they would eat home baked cookies, drink excessive amounts of eggnog, and cuddle under Betty’s Santa and Mrs.Claus blanket while watching whatever Hallmark or childhood Christmas movie came on.

****

Conflicting schedules, relationships, buried feelings, and fear always stopped Betty and Jughead from seeing each other any other time of the year, but Christmas was theirs, and the two stubborn young adults refused to let that change.

****

Unfortunately, things changed whether they wanted it to or not, and that became clear as time went on. It had been hard for them to cope with being apart the first year, but they made it through with endless phone calls and texting, but then, even that slowed down.

****

It had been five years now, and Betty met someone else, the first person since Jughead to kiss her and make her smile just by looking at her like she hung the damn moon. Betty wasn’t sure if it was love, but she knew it was serious in September when one night over dinner, she looked at him and asked if he wanted to spend Christmas with her family.

****

Her siblings hadn’t brought significant others over for Christmas until they were married, Polly with Moose and Charles with Veronica. Betty wasn’t sure why, but they wanted to be married before they were brought into the Cooper tradition, and it worked out as both of her siblings moved fast in the romance department and not even a year of being together went by before both of them were married. There was only one person who wasn’t romantically tied to a member of the Cooper family, and was always going to be welcome for the holidays.

****

He was family, and despite everything that had occured between him and Betty in the years since their graduation, he was still the first person she wanted to tell about Reggie joining them for Christmas.

****

~

****

_“Hey Betts, I got your message, what’s the good news?” Jughead asked, his voice hoarse from what seemed to be a lack of fluids and sleep._

****

_“I asked Reggie to come home with me for Christmas,” she practically squealed, but when the line went silent, her entire mood changed, “Jug?”_

****

_“Look, Betty, it’s late and I’m tired, can we talk about this another time?” Before she was even given a chance to respond, the line went dead and Betty was left standing in the bathroom of the restaurant wondering why her best friend couldn’t be happy that she was bringing someone home for the holidays._

****

~

****

It had been three months since Betty told Jughead about Reggie, and she still hadn’t heard back from him. Not the day after when she asked if he was okay, or a week later when she left him voice messages asking where he was, or even a month later when she was worried sick about his well being and fucking afraid of him lying dead in a ditch somewhere. But for all of Jughead’s faults, the one thing she never thought he would ignore is her message the night Reggie broke up with her via text, two days before they were set to leave for her parents, and when all she needed was her best friend.

****

It was the 23rd now, and as Betty drove her Chevy pickup truck back into Riverdale, for the first time uncertain if Jughead was going to be there too, her heart raced a million miles a minute and she just wanted to park the damn thing and cry. But that was the problem, Cooper women don’t cry, and whether Jughead was there this year or not, she needed to be strong.

****

Pulling into the parking lot was the easy part, it was walking in the front door that sent nerves through every bit of her body and when the door opened, all she knew was her family was pretending to be happy, yet all she could do was fight back tears.

****

“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” she heard her mother call and a smile lit up her face. She may not be herself this year around, but she was still happy when she got to see her family.

****

Betty walked into the kitchen when her heart stopped and she dropped her purse onto the ground, standing speechless and afraid with Jughead the closest he’d been to her in a year.

****

But then it hit her, it wasn’t seeing Jughead that put her on edge. It was the way he looked at her, because it was the exact same way he looked at her before they left for college. Before they left _each other_.

****

“Mom, dad,” Betty beamed, ignoring Jughead, walking right past him and giving her father a hug. “Where are Polly and Chic?”

****

Her mom finished laying cookies out onto the tray and turned around to see her daughter, “Polly and Moose are out buying more baking ingredients, while Charles and Veronica are of course,”

****

“Clothes shopping?” Betty laughed, Alice laughed along her and when Jughead chuckled, Betty’s face went stone cold. “I’m going to put my bags up in my room, and then mom, do you want me to come downstairs and bake some more treats?”

****

“Baking is my favourite thing when you’re here, sweetheart, reminds me of old times,” the words came off of her mother’s lips like it was supposed to mean something, her eyes met with Jughead and Betty sighed, unwilling to get caught up on this situation with Jughead on her first night back in Riverdale.

****

Betty stood in her childhood bedroom, looking at the pastel painted walls and taking in all the memories she had in here, something she hadn’t done before, because every other time she came home there was no point in thinking of old memories when she was focused on making new ones.

****

After settling in and changing into something more fit for a baking session, rather than a black shirt that would end up covered in flour, Betty left her room to go back downstairs. As she rounded the corner of the upstairs hallway, her eyes once again met with Jughead’s. He was leaning against the railing at the top of the staircase, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face.

****

She continued walking and headed for the stairs before Jughead’s voice caught her off guard, “Betty.”

****

It was her name, spoken so many times over the years, a million times by Jughead himself, but it didn’t feel right anymore, it didn’t feel like it was her name, not coming from him.

****

Maybe it was the way he looked at her, or that he hadn’t said her name in so long, or maybe it was just that she had moved on. Well, she knew enough about the two of them to know which one it wasn’t.

****

A year ago, she would have turned around and answered him, but not today. Keeping her head held up high and refusing to let her emotions get the best of her, Betty walked down the stairs and didn’t look back.

****

Chic and Veronica returned not long after Betty and Alice had started baking, with Moose and Polly close behind them. Jughead had joined Hal in the living room for a streaming of the Philadelphia Flyers v New York Rangers. He had never been much of a sports guy himself, but there wasn’t much Jughead wouldn’t do to make Hal Cooper happy, and if sitting through a hockey game once or twice every year was all it took, then that’s exactly what he would do.

****

They had sat in silence, the conversation of his situation with Betty having already taken place earlier in the day. The two only chatted back and forth about the game, and left anything about their real life behind for a few hours. Of course, that was until Moose and Chic came to join them once they arrived back at the Cooper’s residence.

****

Chic took a seat beside Jughead and instantly went into big brother mode, “You know I love you like you’re family, but all I’ve heard from Veronica these past few months is you not being there for her,” he sighed, ignoring the look from his father telling him not to have this chat right now, “you can love her more than anything in the goddamn world, but what good is it if you don’t show it?”

****

And so, they left it at that. The four men cracked open their beers and enjoyed the rest of the game, a collective cheer taking place as the Rangers took the Bruins out with a tie-breaking goal in the last 60 second stretch.

****

In the kitchen, Betty and her mom were joined by Veronica and Polly, the two women took their respective spots at the table and chose, as they did every year, to view the baking process oppose to taking part in it.

****

Alice had become better at not overstepping with her youngest daughter, learning that she’d rather keep their relationship the way it is than knowing everything going on in her life. Jughead was a boundary in their discussions, and over the past few months, that had been proven time and again.

****

However, Veronica and Polly didn’t see things the same way, and the two decided to make their first conversation face to face in months be about him.

****

Polly had asked first, wondering if the two were going to talk and after placing a tray of sugar cookies into the oven, Betty turned around, throwing off her oven mitts and looked at her old sister. “Polly,” her face was red and tears burned her eyes, “did you know he was going to be here?”

****

Everything felt like it came to a halt when she saw the look on not only Polly’s face, but her mother’s and best friend’s. She scoffed, shaking her head and walked away before anyone could stop her.

****

It had been hours since she left her childhood bedroom, locking herself in there at only six in the evening and not going downstairs for dinner or anything else that night.

****

She found it comical, really. How the place that held all of her best memories was suddenly tearing away at her self control and strength, bringing on her weakness and leaving her nothing but pain.

****

Betty had fallen asleep earlier than usual, the loneliness of her bedroom leaving her tired. She woke a few hours later, the sky filled with shining stars that you would never get the chance to see in the city, and she suddenly remembered what Pop used to tell her.

****

_Darling, when you miss someone look at the stars, because the person you’re missing is under the same ones, and you never know if they’re looking at them too, missing you just as much._

****

She slowly pulled herself up and grabbed her phone off the old pink nightstand, _12:32 am_ , she didn’t want to face anyone tonight, but at this time they should all be asleep, and she really needed a glass of water.

****

The wooden floors creaked under her feet, a quiet curse falling from her mouth as she worried about waking anyone up. After pouring herself a drink, Betty noticed the light on out front and she walked over to the door, opening it slowly and smiling when she saw the snow falling from the sky. She stepped outside before noticing Jughead on the porch, sitting on the stairs and looking up at the stars.

****

He turned around when he heard the door close, a small smile appearing on his face when he noticed it was Betty behind him. She pulled her cardigan tightly around herself and sighed, resting against the door. “Do you look at the stars often?” she asked, secretly terrified of the answer.

****

“Every night,” Jughead answered quietly, her heart clenching because she looked at them just as often. 

****

**Day 2**

****

**Christmas Eve.**

****

They had stood in silence on the porch for quite a while and those quiet moments were the most peaceful Betty had experienced in so long. She thought about the way he looked up at the stars, it almost reminded her of the way he used to look at her, the way he looked at her yesterday, a complete contrast to the way he looked at her today, as the family sat down for an early breakfast before a day of festivities began.

****

It had been awkward the night before, as the two walked upstairs to their separate rooms, something they hadn’t done is many years. Even when they were apart, the fifth bedroom of the Cooper house was left empty as Jughead slept on the floor in Betty’s room, or sometimes with her, if she asked him to.

****

She had watched the way he walked into the spare bedroom, his head hung low, and her heart wanted to scream, tell him to stop and spend the night with her, but she couldn’t do it.

****

She thought about that as he sat across from her at the table, how different things would be today if she had asked him to stay with her. How different this entire visit would be if she knew what to say to him, if she knew what she _wanted_ to say to him.

****

So just like in the middle of the night as the two stood under the star-filled and snowing sky, she remained quiet.

****

The clacking of a fork against a glass cup brought Betty back to reality and away from her thoughts. “Moose and I were talking last night about when we wanted to tell everyone, but no time seems better than now,” Polly looked at her husband before turning back to the rest of her family and smiling, “we’re pregnant.”

****

The words sent Betty through a spiral of emotions. She should be happy about her sister’s news, but something inside of her didn’t feel right. This was Polly’s moment, though, and she had no right to make it about herself. So, she sported her infamous Betty Cooper smile and gave her sister her congratulations.

****

After breakfast had finished, Betty left her still chatting family to go get some fresh air. It was cold, as it normally was this time of the year, but with the sun shining, Betty thought the wind was really what made her shiver.

****

“Betty?” She turned around on the porch and smiled slightly when her father stepped outside with her, he placed a sweater around her shoulders and held onto her hand. “Your mom and I agreed to stay out of everything, but it’s understandable that this news about Polly brings up emotions--”

****

“Dad,” Betty cut him off, “it’s okay, I am happy for her, I just needed some air.” She knew he didn’t believe her, but it wasn’t a battle she wanted to fight right now. She took a deep breath, and then sighed, “can you just, try to keep him away from me? I’m not ready to forgive him yet.”

****

“Of course,” Hal answered. “But I don’t think it’s him you need to forgive.”

****

Betty was tempted to ask him what he meant, but she knew. Her father had always been there when she and Jughead went through everything. Whether it be the first time he kissed her in front of her family, or when he almost joined the Serpents during junior year, or even when they went their own ways for University. Her father had secretly supported the two of them since the beginning, and he still rooted for them when Betty was with Reggie.

****

She knew what her father thought of that relationship, and how disappointed he was at the idea of his youngest child with someone who wasn’t the person she’d spent the better part of her twenty-year three years getting to know, loving, and falling in love with.

****

“Now, let’s go inside and get ready for the wonderful plans your mother has for us today,” Hal rolled his eyes and laughed along with his daughter. He had never made it a secret that the long list of events for the week before Christmas drove him crazy, but he loved Alice, and so, he’d go through it all to make her happy.

****

Betty admired her parents relationship, in awe of the fact that despite all of their differences, they never strayed from one another, and she wondered what it was like to have that kind of love.

****

But maybe she already did.

****

The three hours between breakfast and arriving at the ice rink had been eventful to say the least. Alice barely had time to focus on her plans for the day as she and Polly talked about all the different things they’d do with a baby in the family. Betty had to listen to Chic and Moose talk about another business deal that Veronica and her didn’t understand, while watching her father laugh with Jughead over something that was probably not even funny at all.

****

She had avoided the questions from Veronica about Jughead, as she’d been doing effortlessly for years at this point. But it wouldn’t be like Veronica if she didn’t push, so as the rest of their family talked about everything going on in the present, Veronica couldn’t stop herself from talking about the past.

****

“I just hate seeing you two like this,” Veronica sighed as they walked through the snow filled sidewalks of Riverdale, “of course I love being able to talk to you now that you’re not glued to his side. But he loved you with his entire heart, B, and you loved him just as much. That just doesn’t go away.”

****

“It didn’t just _go away,_ V, it was years in the making. We stopped being ourselves after graduation and we were living in a fantasy world for too long, it just came to an end,” Betty stated, taking a seat on the bench and pulling her white skates out of her bag.

****

~

****

_She was nine years old the first time she learned how to skate, it was Christmas Eve and her father took her and Jughead to the rink in the middle of Riverdale. Music has been playing over speakers from town hall, and Hal watched proudly as Jughead stepped onto the ice in a pair of skates that were given to him as an early birthday present from Alice and himself._

****

_“Wow Jug, you’re a natural on those things.”_

****

_Betty was in her signature pink coat, with matching figure skates as she joined Jughead on the ice. Hal remained close to his daughter and her best friend, but stood back far enough for them to enjoy this experience together, as just the two of them._

****

_Betty twirled around on her skates with a smile that lit up her entire face when she fall back on her butt and Jughead quickly made his way over to her._

****

_“Betts, are you okay?”_

****

_“I am now, Juggie,” she smiled, taking his hand and smacking off the snow as he held onto her from the rink back over to the benches._

****

_~_

****

Betty had finished tying up her skates and stood up, she glided her way over to the bench her father was at and tried her best to avoid Jughead, as he was right beside him. “Dad, what do you say we do it like the old days? Some father-daughter skating?”

****

Hal smiled and nodded, “I better see you on that ice, Jones, you got raw talent.” He said before skating off with his daughter onto the ice.

****

Alice, Polly and Chic joined them not long after, the family skating together under the shining sun and small flakes of snow settling on their bodies and the ice underneath them. Moose, Veronica and Jughead came onto the ice once they were ready, and the next few hours had been spent forgetting about their troubles. The sky turned darker as time went on, lights brightening the area and carolers walked through the small town singing nothing but the holidays best songs.

****

Somewhere along the way, Polly was no longer an expecting mother, Alice no longer had a schedule to keep track of, and Betty was no longer avoiding Jughead. They all skated together, laughed together, and loved together like they had for years.

****

Everyone had done their own thing for the rest of the day, Polly and Moose went to nap in her old bedroom until dinner, Veronica and Chic finished some last minute Christmas shopping from places they needed to go in their hometown, and Hal and Alice went to the grocery store to get everything needed for the night’s meal.

****

With her sister and brother-in-law asleep, it felt like the only two in the house were her and Jughead.

****

He sat in the living room, switching between channels, unable to stay satisfied with anything. She stood in the kitchen, clenching and unclenching her fists, debating on if she should go into the living room and talk to him. It wasn’t until Betty looked over at the kitchen table and knew what she had to do. 

****

“Jug?” Betty whispered, her voice croak. “Can we talk?”

****

Sitting up, he clicked the tv off and motioned for her to come sit beside him. “Yeah, of course.”

****

She hesitantly walked over and sat beside him on the couch, fighting with herself on how to say anything when her mind was all over the place. “Do you remember what happened between us last Christmas?” Betty asked, but she knew he remembered. _Of course_ he remembered. “I wasn’t on birth control and we didn’t use anything and I just,” she stopped, seeing his expression change in a flash.

****

“I was pregnant, Jughead.” It was the first time she’d said it in so long, 10 months exactly to when she found out, and just less than that since she’d phoned her father crying as she laid in a hospital bed. “I woke up one morning and I was bleeding and I didn’t know what to do, but I knew my friend from University lived down the road, and I asked him to come pick me up.”

****

There were tears in her eyes as she continued telling the story, and as Jughead looked away from her, “Reggie stayed by my side the entire time and when I had finally let myself accept what had happened, I couldn’t think of us anymore. I thought maybe this was a sign, y’know? If we were meant to be together why would God take away our child.”

****

He stood up, looking back at her before turning away and paced around the living room, “please say something.”

****

“What do you want me to say?” He snapped back at her, “Betty, you were pregnant with _my_ child and didn’t tell me. You miscarried _our_ child and didn’t tell me. I don’t know what the fuck you want me to say.”

****

“I just want you to tell me how you feel.”

****

“You want to know how I feel?” Jughead rubbed his hand over his face and let out a sigh, “I can’t even stand to look at you right now, Betty.” Before she could stop him, he was storming out of the living room and all she was left with was the echo of the slamming of the front door.

****

Finally, Betty unclenched her fists and looked at the crescent shaped scars she hadn’t given in herself in months.

****

Jughead hadn’t come back for dinner, and doing her best to avoid the tension, once the rest of her family settled in to watch a movie with some hot cocoa, Betty grabbed her coat and left the house. She wrapped herself up in a scarf and some mittens, preparing for a walk that would hopefully settle her mind.

****

Her feet kept going until she stopped at the one place that was always going to be the heart of Riverdale. Pop’s Chocklit’ Shoppe. When Betty got inside, she saw Jughead sitting in the far back booth, the one that was theirs so many years ago, and she let out a sigh of relief before heading over to him. Here she was, leaving her parents house on Christmas Eve to come find her ex-boyfriend at the only place in town open during the Holidays.

****

She took a seat across from him at the table, Betty looked up, “You don’t need to talk to me, Jug, I just needed to know you were okay.”

****

It was quiet for a while, nothing more than the tension remaining between the two of them, but out of nowhere, Jughead spoke, “How often do you wish we were still in high school?” The question was honest, and held so much more than anyone else could imagine.

****

“I try not to think about it,” she answered, “but I find myself doing it a lot more lately.”

****

“Yeah,” he sighed, “me too.”

****

**Day 3**

****

**Christmas Day.**

****

After Jughead’s question, he and Betty didn’t speak again that night. Silence remained as Betty looked at her phone and realized the time, and after saying goodbye to Pop, she headed back for her parent’s house. She wondered for the rest of the night where Jughead was, if he was okay, and it wasn’t until nearly six in the morning when the sun had woken her and she heard the same door that showed he was gone, close once again, telling her he’d come back.

****

She pulled on her housecoat and ran out of her room, charging down the stairs and stopping only when Jughead was right in front of her. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she leaned in to hug him but was stopped when he backed away.

****

“I’m back because your family doesn’t need to worry about where I am just because of your choices,” Jughead said, his voice harsh and expression blank. “I’m not here for you, Betty, not anymore.”

****

She stood alone, stunned, in the living room where he left her yesterday. But more than anything, the same place where he told her he loved her for the first time was now forever tainted by these moments of pain.

****

~

****

_Jughead woke Betty earlier than usual this Christmas morning, she was under her pink comforter with her face resting on the pillow, a replacement for Jughead’s chest. He had slowly pulled himself from under her half an hour earlier to complete the finishing touches of his plan._

****

_When she woke, she wanted to fall back asleep, but it was the glint in Jughead’s eyes that kept her from doing so. Pulling off her blanket to reveal a pair of black shorts and Jughead’s red pajama shirt, Betty sat on the side of her bed._

****

_“Come on Betts, there’s something I need to show you.” She took his hand and stood up, pulling her housecoat over herself and following Jughead down the stairs._

****

_He directed her into the living room where she stopped in her tracks at the sight. On the fire place was a hard copy edition of her favourite novel, Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet._

****

_“You told me once that this was your favourite book,” he said, picking it up off the fireplace and opening it, “and when I asked why, you chose to recite one line to me, ‘Love means never having to be apart’. There was this smile on your face as you said it, your cheeks went red and I knew it that moment,” Jughead put the book down again and walked closer to her, placing one hand on her cheek, “that I loved you. Because I do, Betty Cooper, I love you and I never want us to be apart.”_

****

_“Jughead Jones,” Betty breathed, “I love you, too.”_

****

_“Look up, baby,” and so she did, and above them hung mistletoe._

****

~

****

It was after breakfast when the women of the family were cleaning up the kitchen, and the men went into the living room to watch another pointless thing in the television, that Betty and Jughead were both confronted.

****

The breakfast had been nothing short of awkward, with Betty sitting across from Jughead and him doing what she had the day before, everything in his power to ignore her presence. He hadn’t spoken much, which was usual, but it was the way he only spoke to Moose and Chic that got to her. Had he found out her dad kept her secret from him and everyone else? Did he think everyone but them knew?

****

Hal was the only one who knew, not Veronica, not Moose, and certainly not her siblings or her her mother. It was agreed to be kept between Betty and her father forever, never planning on telling anyone else. She felt okay with that, the less people that knew, the better. But then, telling Jughead last night robbed her of that feeling, it stole the idea that it was okay from her head and now none of it felt remotely close to okay.

****

It made sense for the women in her family to confront her the way they did, when they had no idea what had really happened between her and Jughead. It made sense for them to wonder and push on her about Reggie, why she chose him instead of waiting for Jughead. They had always known her to love one boy, and then it all changed. Betty understood why they had their questions, and she didn’t want to be mad at her family for asking, but she also didn’t want to answer them.

****

Alice was the first to speak up, reminding her daughter that life is short, and to go through it fighting with the person you care about is no life at all.

****

“Your father and I had our differences, Betty, but we always worked it out,” her mother took her hand and offered a gentle smile, “we loved each other enough to look past everything else and we fought _for_ each other instead of _with_ each other.”

****

Polly wasn’t slow behind, using her own experiences with Moose after graduation as an example.

****

“Do you remember when Moose and I started worrying about graduation? We had six months to go, but counted down the days anyway. Gosh, I was a mess,” Polly laughed, thinking back to those seven years ago and how much everything had changed since then, “you were sixteen, and Jughead had just told you he loved you for the very first time, and you were so in love that you convinced me I could make things work with Moose, even long distance. You believed we could make it work, and that made us believe it, too.”

****

It was Veronica, though, whose opinion stuck out to Betty the most.

****

“B, I watched the two of you grow up together, and fall in love with each other,” Veronica sighed, looking at her best friend with an upset expression, “even when Charles and I are happy, I find myself jealous of how you two do it. How can you two be so hopelessly in love? So unbelievably made for each other, and still not even be in a relationship? Your brother and I made it work after I graduated because my internship was down the road from his work in New York, but you and Jughead, until Reggie came along, made it work when you were a thousand miles apart.”

****

She took in everything they had to say, not arguing, not defending herself, and just listened. For the first time for as long as she could remember, Betty just listened. Here she was, on Christmas Day surrounded by the most important people in her life, and all she could think about was how she wanted it to be like it used to be. She wanted him to hold her, to kiss her, to say he loved her.

****

“Thank you,” Betty said, “all of you, thank you.” She stood up from her seat at the table and walked through the hallway, stopping at the entrance of the living room when she heard her brother talking.

****

“Moose is right, man,” Chic looked at Jughead and hit him on the arm, “what the two of you have, it’s not the kind of connection that comes easily. What you have is rare, and there’s no way whatever you’ve been through can’t survive this.”

****

“You don’t know?” Jughead asked, his voice sent shivers down Betty’s spine and she peeked in, watching as he looked at her father, angry. “Seriously? Who else did Betty keep it from?”

****

“Jug.” His name falling from Betty’s lips pulled his attention away from the situation at hand, “can we talk? Please.”

****

He didn’t say anything as he followed her outside, allowing her to lead the way until they were on the porch, surrounded by falling snow and a million more memories that haunted their thoughts.

****

“My dad is the only one who kept it from you,” she sighed, “because he’s the only one in this family besides us that knows what happened.”

****

“Is that all you wanted to say?” He was annoyed, angry, but part of him wanted to be there despite all of those feelings.

****

“I’m sorry.” She looked at him and waited for him to say something else.

****

“I’m sorry, too.” When Jughead’s ocean eyes met Betty’s, it felt like, for the first time in a long time, they understood each other.

****

Neither of them were sorry for just one thing, but for everything. For giving up on each other when high school ended, for not finding a way to make it work with school and careers and becoming who they wanted to be. They were sorry for all of the secrets over the past five years, for the way they stopped putting each other first. Betty was sorry for turning to Reggie instead of Jughead, and he was sorry for pushing her away because of jealousy.

****

“It’s Christmas, Jug. We’re going to be surrounding ourselves with those closest to us, and I just wanted you to know before we went back in there, I am so sorry.” She went to walk back inside, her hand turning the knob and opening the front door when he spoke.

****

“I moved back from Seattle,” Jughead whispered. Closing the door and turning around, Betty stood there, shocked. “Six months ago, I had finished my program early and all I could think about was how stupid I was to let you go. You and Reggie had been going steady for three months, and I just couldn’t stop telling myself that if I hadn’t left to go to school two thousand, eight hundred and sixty nine miles away, maybe I wouldn’t have lost you. After we slept together last year, that’s when it all started and then he came along and everything was just one big sign telling me to come home.”

****

“So you came home.” She couldn’t hide her happiness as he rambled on, and Betty took one step closer to him.

****

“I came home,” he sighed, and it felt so incredible to say it out loud. “Last night, when you told me about what happened, I wasn’t mad at you, but I was mad at myself. The stupid stuff like, why weren’t we careful? Or how did I not notice the signs? I’m supposed to be the person who knows you best and I had no idea you were suffering.”

****

“I didn’t know what to do,” she looked at him, eyes glazed with tears, “I wanted you to be there for me, but I was scared of seeing you hurt and I didn’t know what to do.”

****

“I once told you that I never wanted us to apart, and I meant it.” He made the next move and stepped in until there was no room for either of them to get any closer, “I meant something else that morning, too.”

****

“I love you,” Betty beat him to the punch with those three words, and all she wanted was to hear them back.

****

“I love you, too,” Jughead couldn’t stop himself, and he cupped Betty’s cheeks and leaned in for the kiss.

****

Suddenly, all of the built up emotions from over years had come crashing in on them. This wasn’t like last year, where a kiss in the middle of the night turned into a heated affair of passion and desire. But a simple, gentler kiss that made them both realize what they’d been fighting for so long.

****

They had everything they would ever want, or need, in each other.

****

Betty pulled back and rested her head on Jughead’s shoulder, but the peacefulness was soon broken when Jughead looked up to see the Coopers all looking out their living room window. When they noticed he had seen them, they all quickly turned away and went on to pretend they weren’t looking.

****

Jughead shook his head and laughed. “What do you say we go inside and get to opening these presents before your mom starts to go into her ‘everything’s a mess’ mode?”

****

“I’d like that very much,” Betty smiled, continuing to rest on his shoulder as the two walked inside, hand in hand.

****

When Betty and Jughead got inside, Hal and Alice had taken their usual chairs on each side of the tree, while the other two couples sat together on the couch. Veronica was on Chic’s lap and a smile was on her face as her best friend walked back into the room. Hal nodded his approval to Jughead, and the two took a seat on the love seat.

****

“Let’s open presents so I can--”

****

“Get to checking on the food,” everyone in the room said along with Alice and laughed.

****

Alice shook her head, laughing at her family’s antics before leaning down to pick up the first present she could reach. “This one is for,” she turned the present around and read the name tag on top of it, “Veronica, from Jughead.”

****

“What did Mr. Brooding get me this year,” she chuckled, taking apart the wrapping paper and gasping.

****

“All I’ve heard this husband of yours complain about for months is you wanting to visit the Woodinville Wine Country I know a person who knows a person.”

****

“I almost don’t hate you anymore, Jones.”

****

The next present was for Hal, tickets to the Rangers v Pittsburgh Penguins game in early January. Polly received a beautiful necklace with their wedding date engraved on the charm. Alice was overjoyed when she got an invitation to a baking show in North Carolina, while Moose and Chic both enjoyed their tickets to an upcoming UFC fight. It wasn’t until Jughead’s name was said alongside her own that Betty became nervous.

****

She knew him better than anyone else, but they had been going through so much when she bought him this, and she wondered if it was going to be enough for him now.

****

As he opened the paper, he looked up at Betty and smiled. “A hardcopy of The Old Man and the Sea. Betts, I love it.”

****

“Open the book, Jug,” and so he did.

****

He opened the book to see two plane tickets, “John F Kennedy to Key West International. Betty, is this--”

****

“We’re going to go to Hemingway’s home and museum,” she blushed, “that is, if you want me to go with you.”

****

“Of course I want you to go with me, there’s no one else I’d rather by my side,” he leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I hope what I got you is just as good.”

****

Jughead waited for Hal to pick up the package, almost exactly the same as Betty’s, and watched as he handed it to Betty. She looked up at him and smiled when she realized what it was, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red with each passing second.

****

“Open the book,” he repeated her words from moments earlier and felt his heart settle when she covered her mouth in a shocked gasp. “You got him to sign it? Jug this is--” she couldn’t find the words, so she leaned forward and kissed him gently.

****

The day went on and the family continued with their activities. Hal helped Alice in the kitchen with the finishing touches of dinner, while the three young couples enjoyed time in the living room, laughing over the dumbest things, singing along to songs that came on the stereo, and expressing their happiness to all be here together.

****

The family gathered together once again for a final meal together before next year, and after an hour or so of laughs and delicious food, they all got ready to go to town hall for the caroling.

****

Beside her sister and brother-in-law, Betty stood wrapped in Jughead’s arms as they sang along to Kissin’ by the Mistletoe.

****

“Merry Christmas, Betts,” he whispered into her ear, leaving a shiver down her spine as she thought about him being so close to her again.

****

“Merry Christmas, Juggie,” she tilted her head up to whisper back to him.

****

_I said and now it's Christmas every day_

_Oh yeah_

_And now it's Christmas every day_

****

**Day 4.**

****

They hadn’t gone to sleep until well past two in the morning, after arriving back at the Cooper’s from caroling, the family gathered around the living room for hot cocoa, sugar cookies, and a classic, Frosty The Snowman. Eventually, the couples started separating and made their ways to their respective rooms, while Betty and Jughead remained in the living room.

****

“I want to go to bed with you, Betty,” Jughead looked at her, his hand still resting on hers. “I think we need to take things slow, this time.”

****

She stared at him, unsure of what to say, but allowed him to continue without interruption. “I want to get it right, this time, Betts.”

****

“Okay,” Betty agreed, “I’ll see you in the morning, then,” she kissed him on the cheek before walking up the stairs to her bedroom.

****

For the first time in a very long time, Betty and Jughead both got full nights sleep. No interruptions, no dreams startling them awake, and no late night thoughts and questions. Everything finally felt okay, and despite the events that had lead them to get here, they had indeed, gotten here.

****

Betty woke fully rested the next morning, and when she finished getting ready, her heart told her today was going to be a good day.

****

She wore her classic blue jeans, a light top with a pink cardigan, and her hair down in natural waves, everything from her head to her toes felt like she was in high school again. Betty left her bedroom and walked downstairs, she saw Jughead shaking his head and laughing with her family.

****

“There you are,” Alice grinned, “we’ve just been having some friendly discussion before getting ready to say our goodbyes.”

****

_Goodbyes._

****

No, they weren’t going to be goodbyes this time.

****

~

****

_It had been a month since graduation, and with Betty getting into Harvard on an early acceptance program, she would be on her way by the days end. Jughead had another month before he had to make the trip from New York to Seattle, so until then, he’d say his goodbyes to Betty, and spend the rest of the summer with Veronica before she made her way to New York for an internship._

****

_Although, he suspected she may make her way over to the city earlier than expected once her eighteenth birthday rolls around, you know, to visit Chic and all._

****

_He and Betty were at Pop’s now, in the back corner booth nursing their classic vanilla and chocolate milkshakes, trying not to think about the goodbyes to follow._

****

_“Jug,” she pushed her milkshake to the side and reached for his hand, “I’m going to go to Harvard and study law, I’m going to pass the New York state bar, and a few years you’ll see me working my ass off at the DA’s office. You’ll have gone to The UOW with a master of fine arts and be on your way to becoming the best photographer you can be,” tears were in her eyes as she spoke, “and when we’ve figured everything out, become the people we want to be, we’ll come home, you and I, together.”_

****

_“Together,” he repeated, smiling as they sat there, hand in hand._

****

~

****

“What if they weren't goodbyes?” Betty blurted out, looking at her family. “Moose and Chic have their business running in New York, Veronica’s a secretary there, and Polly is working as a teacher. Everyone is in New York, which is less than an hour away from here,” she walked over to Jughead and held his hand, “I moved four hours away, and Jug moved 42 hours away. These are only ever goodbyes because him and I are so far. But we’re not, not anymore.”

****

“Betty, what are you saying?”

****

“I’m saying, you moved back here from Seattle despite your dreams, and I am nowhere near where I wanted to be by now. I’ve been done my program for two years and instead of moving to New York and passing the state bar there, I’m a staff member of Harvard Law. What if I move to New York, apply to get into the bar and be close enough to see my family more than a couple times a year, or,” Betty looked up at Jughead, “more than once a year.” 

****

Hal smiled and walked over, pulling Betty in for a hug, “it’ll be nice to have my baby girl around more often,” he looked at Jughead, patting him on the shoulder, “it’ll be nice to see you two together again.”

****

Betty laughed and looked at her family, a bright smile on her face, “so, what were you guys talking about before I got down here?”

****

“Oh, nothing,” all of them, except Jughead, said in unison.

****

“They all had bets going on how long it would take us to make up and, as your wonderful brother put it, get our heads out of our asses.” Jughead stated, holding back his laughter as Chic swatted his arm for ratting them out.

****

“Who won?” Betty asked, curiously.

****

“Your father,” Alice rolled her eyes and chuckled.

****

Hal looked at Betty, a proud smile on his face, “what can I say? Christmas Day has always been their thing,” and he was right. From the first time they opened gifts together as kids, to the morning as teenagers waking up on the couch after ‘accidentally’ falling asleep together, Jughead’s speech and their mutual ‘I love you’s’, to yesterday, where they promised each other their hearts forever. Christmas Day would always be theirs.

****

After some more chatting, Betty gave her family hugs before walking out of the house with Jughead, “I’ll have to find a job in New York, first,” she said, “find a place and all, but after that I’m coming back, Jug.”

****

“You’re coming home,” Jughead smiled, pulling her in for a hug and kissing into her hair, “I love you, Betty.”

  
“I love you too, Jughead.”  


**Author's Note:**

> Please, drop a comment, tell me your thoughts. Thank you all for reading!


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